Troubled

John 14
Jesus said to him (Thomas), "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me."   John 14:6


LET IT GLOW

We have taken a three-day drive to Rhode Island to visit our daughter's family.
There is no way we could accomplish this without following a road map.
There are big cities, such as Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Louisville, and
the Big Apple, New York City to bypass, go around, or simply avoid. Even
using a map to guide us on our way, we got lost a few times, thanks to my
navigation.

The Blackabys said in "Experiencing God Day-By-Day Devotional":

          If you are walking daily with the Lord, you will not have to find God's
          will-you will already be in it. The Holy Spirit's role is to guide you step
          by step, to do God's will. Walking closely with God each day
          guarantees that you will be exactly where He wants you to be. You
          would have to reject all of the Holy Splirit's activity in your life in order
          to get out of the will of God.
          The disciples never had to ask Jesus where they should go next. They
          simply looked to see where Jesus was going and stayed close to Him!
          Jesus was their "way." They didn't need a map as long as they had
          Jesus. Too often, we would prefer a road map of our future rather than
          a relationship with the Way. It often seem easier to follow a plan that to
          cultivate a relationship. We can become more concerned with our
          future than we are with walking intimately with God today.
          Jeus will never give you a substitute for Himself. He is the only way to
          the Father.

It is Jesus who shows us the way to live our Christian life. We find out how
He lived in the Bible.  How often do I read this map? Do I follow it so I can
stay on the narrow path? Each day He gives me something to work on in my
life.


LET IT GROW

Often, I am  like Martha, "troubled about many things," as Jesus put it.
I get concerned (sounds better than saying worried or troubled) about a lot of
things-family, finances, economy, job, aging,etc. What are  you worried about,
I mean what are you concerned about?

The word trouble means disturbed in the mind; agitated, worried, distressed,
inconvenienced. Sounds strong doesn't it?
.
In this chapter, Jesus tells us twice, "Let not your heart be troubled," in
verses 1 and 27b. Believe me, I know it's easier said than done.
Why did Jesus tell us to not be troubled? He followed the statements with,
"ye believe in God, believe also in me" and "neither let it be afraid."

I counted 5 times that the form of the word believe is used by Jesus in this
chapter. Webster's Dictionary says believe means to accept as true. So
what is Jesus telling me? Simply, don't be troubled; don't be worried.
Believe in Him; He is the Way; He is the Truth; He is the Life. It will all be
taken care of, just trust Him and let Him do it. Okay, I admit that I have some
homework to do on this one. Anyone going to join me? (Guess I'm not the
only one who needed to hear this because Jesus kept telling His disciples to
believe in Him.)

Wait, we aren't through yet. In verse 27, He leaves us with peace. The word
peace means tranquility, quietness, in Webster's Dictionary. I can handle some
of that.
Another thing He mentioned is that we have the Holy Ghost, which is called the
Comforter and He teaches all things and brings all things to remembrance.

So we can have peace and comfort when we believe in Jesus. Sounds good
to me. How about you?


LET IT GO

Walk daily with Jesus, reading His Word and following His directions.

Stop being troubled, worried, and believe Jesus can and will take care
of the problem.

Ask Him for peace and comfort.